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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

O. D. ROGERS. CUTTING-OFF DIE FOR MACHINES FOR MAKING SCREW BLANKS. No. 563,885. Patented July 14, 1896.

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Q QLZQ flR gggri (No Model.) 2 Sheets8heet 2,

0. D. ROGERS. CUTTING-OPP DIE FOB MACHINES FOR MAKING SCREW BLANKS. .No) 56,885. Patented July 14, 1896.

h ifi jflaggr UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE;

CHARLES D. ROGERS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

CUTTING-OFF DIE FOR MACHINES FOR MAKING SCREW-BLANKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Batent No. 563,885, dated July 14, 1896.

A li ti fil d June 18,1895. $Brial No 553,203. (No model.)

To all whom zltrmay concern.-

I Be it known that I, CHARLES D. ROGERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cutting-Off Dies for Machines for Making Screw-Blanks, the. and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My present invention relates to the class of machines for making headed screw-blanks or-other blanks from a continuous length of wire or rod-that is to say, machines in which the forward end of the wire operated upon is first upset or swaged in the heading-die to form a head, the headed Wire being neXt advanced through the heading-die the desired distance and finally severedby a pair of coacting dies working at right angles with the longitudinal axis of the wire, at the same time leaving a length of wire protruding through the heading-die to be formed into a head, as before stated.

Machines of the above class dilfer from those in which the length of wire forming the blank is first sheared 01f while in the stationary feeding-die by means of a combined cutting-01f die and carrier forced across its face, which at the same time transfers the severed blank to a heading-die, where it is then forced into the latter, then headed and finally ejected from'it before the next succeeding length of wire can be brought into position. In such last-namedmachines it will be seen that the ends of the wire are or may be cut squarely across, because the mouth of the feeding-die is not enlarged or recessed and the shearing side of the cutting-off die works in close proximity to the face of the fellow or feeding-die; and since the wire is guided and supported throughoutthe length of the feediug-die to the actual point of severance it follows that the wire will not become bent or deflected. Consequently the head produced will be true and central.

The object I have in view is to provide blank-making machines of the class first referred to with means whereby the portion of wire extending in front through the recessed heading-die can be cut or severed squarely across at any point in its length, the standing portion of the wire at the same time being rigidly supported. By means of my improvement the blank is not severed in one die and then transferred to another die to be headed, but instead the end of the wire is headed before the blank is severed from it, the feeding and heading being effected in one die only. While this feature, broadly considered, is not new, as maybe seen in United States Patent No. 3S6,001,issued July 10,1888, it will be observed that in that machine the points of the screw-blanks made therein are cone-shaped, the cutting-off dies being re-' versely arranged and working simultaneously upon opposite sides of the wire. Moreover, cutting-off dies as usually made cannot be employed in such types of patented machines for transversely severing the wire, whereby the point end of the blank as well as the end of the standing wire are out squarely across simultaneously and without waste of stock.

In carrying out my improvement in blankmaking machines provided with a fixed die through which a continuous length of wire is intermittingly fed, I employ a member arranged in front of said fi-Xed die capable of being brought into engagement with the side of the projecting wire and forming a rigid rest therefor, and also forming a shearing member provided with a combined yielding guide and support for the wire, with respect to the said shearing portion, in combination with an oppositely-arranged fellow shearing or cutting-off die adapted to be forced transversely across the wire, thereby severing the headed blank from the length of wire, the blank portion at the same time being supported by the said resilient guide, which latter moves by and in unison with the cuttingoff die, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings, Figure 1, Sheet 1, represents a plan view of a blank-making machine provided with the improved cutting-cit dies forming the subject of my present invention. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is an enlarged horizontal sectional View taken substantially through the center of the combined heading and feeding die and the adjacent portions of the cutoff dies, showing a length of wire extending beyond the face of the feeding-die and adapted to be converted into a head by swaging it into the recessed portion of the die, the several parts being in the normal position. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the head formed on the end of the wire by the action of the heading-hammers. Fig. at shows the relation of the parts after the headed wire has been forced ahead from the die the proper distance, the cutting-01f dies advancing toward each other. Fig. 5 shows the combined shearing and guide member of the severing-dies stopped at the instant of. its engagement with the headed wire, the other die memberadvancing. Fig. 6 shows the blank severed from the wire by the action of the last-named die member, thus completing the operation. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the combined guide and shearing member. Fig. 8 shows the front end of the same. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the other or main shearing member. Fig. 10 is a front end view of it, and Fig. ll is a partial side view of the yielding guide slightly modified.

A, again referring to the drawings, represents in plan view a machine well adapted for making screw-blanks and is substantially the same as the patented machine hereinbefore referred to. Another analogous machine is set forth in United States Patent No. 389,169, dated September 4, 1888.

In the drawings, Fig. 1, the machine is represented as provided with oppositelydocated holders 0 in which my improved cutting-off dies 1) a are adjustably secured. These holders are capable of being moved toward or from each other through the medium of movable cam connections cl. The continuous length of wire 20 from which the blanks are to be cut is intermittingly fed or advanced by any suitable device through a die m, (see Sheet 2 of the drawings,) mounted in the head portion 13 of the machine. As drawn, said die m may be termed a combined feeding and heading die, since its outer or front end is recessed at m, the shape of said recess obviously being the counterpart of the head to be swaged therein on the adjacent end of the standing wire, the swaging being effected by means of suitable heading-hammers h, which are mechanically forced into engagement with the end of the wire for the purpose.

In my improved cutting-off dies at b, the latter may be termed the combined supporting and anvil member. Its front or working end is grooved-transversely at b to fit, say, the semidiameter of the wire operated upon and form a fixed anvil therefor when in use. The outer end 77. of the grooved portion, that is, the end farthest from the face of die m, is hardened and tempered and adapted to form a shearing part in conjunction with the fellow die a. The outer or front portion of the die I) is drilled longitudinally. In the hole 11 thus formed a cylindrical guide 2? is movably fitted. The latter, as drawn, is provided with a stop 19, extending into a slotted opening 13 formed in the side wall of the die, the arrangement of the parts being such that the front end of the guide, when in the normal position, is flush with or a little in advance of the bottom of said groove 5. The guide is made resilient by the use of a comparatively stiff spring 52, mounted in the hole 11 and bearing against the rear end of the guide. (See Fig. 7.) The end of the die is cut away at 19 thus exposing the outer portion of the guide and also providing for the passage of the working end of the fellow die a.

The cutting-0d die member a is located on the opposite side of the machine with respect to the said member I). lts working end is provided with a groove a, substantially like that formed in die Z). The end at of the groove a nearest the face of die at is adapted to form a cutting edge, so that as the die is forced ahead against the standing wire (the latter being supported by the opposed and for the time being stationary die 1)) it acts to shear the wire, the continued movement of die a completely severing the Wire smoothly and squarely, the guide i at the same time yielding rearwardly and carrying between them the headed blank (See Fig. 6.)

Now, assuming a blank-makin g machine to i be provided with my improved dies ahand that the wire to projects through the feedingdie ma distance .0, as shown in Fig. 2, the operation of producing a headed blank would be substantially as follows: The suitablyactuated hammer or hammers h upset the end of the wire into the die-cavity on, thereby forming a head 71/ thereon, as shown in Fig. 3. The thus-headed end portion of the wire is then forced endwise from the die and fed ahead the desired distance, the cuttingoff dies a b at the same time being advanced toward each other, as shown in Fig. 4, the movement of the die I) ceasing at the instant it and the guide 2' fairly engage the side of the standing wire, as shown in Fig. 5. The continued forward movement of the other die member a acts to completely shear oif the wire and carry the headed blank 2 slightly past the rest or anvil portion of the die 6, as shown in Fig. 6.

It will be seen that while the severed ends of the wire are being cut squarely across the combined action of the grooved seat a and the opposed face of the yielding guide 2' serve to hold the blank portion firmly between them, thereby keeping the blank true and straight. Upon separating the dies the fin ished blank drops from them, the relation of the parts then being, as shown in Fig. 2, ready for the production of the next sncceeding blank.

The face of the supporting-guide i may, if

desired, be grooved, as at '5 Fig. 11, to receive the wire. My improved dies are well adapted to be used for cutting off wire having other forms cross-sectionally, the working faces of the dies in such cases being correspondingly changed or modified.

It is to be noted that in a machine provided with my improved dies 05 b the wire can be cut oif true and square and at any desired distance beyond the face of the feeding-die m without bending or springing the wire in the least degree. Moreover, the blanks themselves are kept perfectly true and straight during the severing operation.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a machine for making blanks from a continuous length of wire, the combination, with a fixed die through which an end of the wire is fed, of a pair of oppositely-arranged movable cutting-off dies, as a, Z7, capable of severing the wire squarely across at a point beyond the face of the first-named or fixed die, one of the said cutting-0E dies, 6, when in use being in non-yielding engagement with the wire and forming an anvil therefor and provided with a yielding guide, as i, and havin g the grooved or adjacent facesof said guide and the fellow die member a adapted to snugly hold the wire between them while the blank is being severed, the said anvil b at the same time rigidly supporting the end portion of the standing wire against lateral movement, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for making screw-blanks from a continuous length of wire, the combination, with a die provided with a cavity in which the heads are to be formed and through which die the wire is intermittingly fed, of an anvil die member for supporting the pro jecting portion of the wire laterally during the shearing operation and having a yielding guide, as i, mounted therein capable of engaging the wire, and a cutting-off die memher, as (1, arranged to coact with the said supporting die member in severing the wire, the said guide at the same time being opposed by the die a and moving in unison with the latter while the headed portion of the wire is held between them, and mechanism both for forcing the said anvil and cutting-off die togetherand then separating them, for the purpose set forth.

3. A pair of cutting-off dies, a, b, capable of severing wire squarely across at any desired point, one of said dies, b, forming an anvil and having its working face arranged to support the wire laterally while it is being severed and provided with a resilient guide, as 2?, adapted to engage the wire and to be forced rearwardly with respect to said die, substantially as described.

4:. The pair of cutting-0E die members, a, b, hereinbefore described, each having its working face grooved transversely to receive and support the wire in a lateral direction and having the adjacent edges of the working faces sharpened and adapted to shear the wire squarely across upon forcing the said cutting edge of the member a past that of the fellow member, 5, the said memberhavingits working end cut away, as at 6 contiguous to the shearing edge and provided with a yielding guide 2 having a stop for limiting its outward movement, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES D. ROGERS. Witnesses:

Gno. H. REMINGTON, Fnnnsnro ARNOLD. 

